Prospect Talent Score

Probability of Success

History

2011-12: Brendan Guhle played eight games for the Sherwood Park Squires minor midget team in Alberta as a 14-year-old and played for the Northeast Flyers in the Alberta Cup. He scored 1 goal with 1 assist and 4 penalty minutes playing for the Squires. Guhle was the third player selected in the 2012 WHL Bantam Draft, chosen by Prince Albert in the first round.

2012-13: Guhle played midget AAA hockey for the Sherwood Park J. Ennis Kings. In 32 regular season games he scored 3 goals with 8 assists and 34 penalty minutes. The Kings finished sixth in the Dodge Division, advancing to the playoff quarterfinals before falling to the SSAC Boston Pizza Athletics. Guhle scored 1 goal with 4 assists and 10 penalty minutes in nine playoff games. He skated for Team Alberta in the Western Canada U16 Challenge Cup.

2013-14: Guhle skated for the WHL’s Prince Albert Raiders and played for the Canada Pacific U17 team in the 2014 World Hockey Challenge. In 51 regular season games for the Raiders he had 10 assists and was -5 with 29 penalty minutes. Prince Albert finished fourth in the East Division before being swept by eventual Memorial Cup champion Edmonton in a first-round playoff series. Guhle scored 1 goal with 1 assist and was -1 in four playoff games. He had 1 assist and 4 penalty minutes in six games skating for silver medal-winning Canada Pacific at the WHC.

2014-15: Guhle was one of three players to skate in all 72 games for Prince Albert in his second season with the Raiders. He scored 5 goals with 27 assists and was -6 with 36 penalty minutes. Prince Albert finished fifth in the East Division, missing the WHL playoffs. Guhle was an injury replacement at the 2015 CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game, skating for Team Cherry, and was invited to the NHL Prospects Combine. He was ranked 56th amongst North American skaters in the Central Scouting final rankings and was selected by Buffalo in the second round (51st overall) in the 2015 NHL Draft.

Talent Analysis

Guhle is a very good athlete with a powerful lower body, which has helped him become one of the league’s strongest players. He plays a very good all-round game and shows poise when the puck is on his stick. His positioning is quite good, which helps him when he plays against the opposition’s top lines. He has the potential to be a second or third-pairing defenseman in the pros, though it will take him a few years to get there.

Future

Guhle suffered an upper body injury in his first NHL camp with the Sabres', delaying his return to the Prince Albert Raiders. He has been one of the WHL's top defensemen in 2015-16 since getting back into action. Guhle has played a key role in the Raiders' turnaround this season and skated for the WHL All-Stars as an 18-year-old in the Subway Series against Russia. Signed by the Sabres over the summer, he could push for a roster spot in Buffalo as soon as next season but would spend one more year in junior hockey if he does not make the Sabres. Guhle projects as a strong defender with some puck-moving ability and is expected to be a top four defenseman in the future.

Photo: Buffalo Sabres prospect Daniel Catenacci had his first stint in the NHL this season, playing 11 games. He had 24 points in 50 games with Rochester of the AHL. (courtesy Brian Babineau/NHLI via Getty Images)

Looking back at the 2010-11 season for the Buffalo Sabres, it almost seems like an entire era ago. The team not only made the playoffs, but they finished second in the then-Northeast Division with 96 points, sporting a 43-29-10 record.

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The 2015-16 season has been quite noteworthy for the Buffalo Sabres and their prospects. After two consecutive seasons of languishing at the bottom of the standings, the team got an infusion of youth this season and have seen positive results. Read more»

Photo: Victoria Royals defenseman and Detroit Red Wings prospect Joe Hicketts served as an alternate captain for Team Canada at the 2016 IIHF World Junior Championship (courtesy of Marissa Baecker/Getty Images)

Photo: With 8 points in eight points (2G, 6A) in 12 games, Brendan Guhle is on pace to surpass last year’s total of 32, despite missing seven games to an upper body injury. (Courtesy of Ben Nelms/Getty Images)

Though the Buffalo Sabres have graduated several prospects to Rochester of the AHL and have several more debuting at the collegiate level, there are still a handful of prospects plying their trade in the Canadian Hockey League during 2015-16, with four of the six playing in the WHL. Read more»